The Search for Patterns

Question 1

In the greylag goose, if an egg rolls off, the goose retrieves it. What happens when the egg is removed midway through? What is this behaviour called?

Answer 1

Goose continues movement.

Ballistic behaviour: when started, can’t stop. Brain unable to interrupt behaviour despite sensory feedback.

Question 2

What are three early synonyms for fixed action patterns (FAPs)?

Answer 2

Instinctive movements (Lorenz, 1953).

Erbkoordination (inherited coordination).

Inborn skills (Eibl-Eibesfeldt, 1970).

Question 3

Describe a sign stimulus, innate releasing mechanism, and FAP for fish, toads, gulls, chinchillas, wolves, and humans.

Answer 3

Fish: predator/threat → Maunthner’s cell response → escape behaviour.

Toads: fly → Ewer’s work → tongue lashing.

Gulls: red dot on beak → ? → pecking.

Chinchillas: sand → ? → sand bathing.

Wolves: mouth licked → ? → regurgitation.

Humans: yawning → ? → yawning.

Question 4

What is the reverse FAP for mother gulls?

Answer 4

Pecking on beak → regurgitate food.

Question 5

Describe a reflex versus a FAP.

Answer 5

Reflex: simple motor action, stereotyped and repeatable (peripheral processing).

FAP: complex motor act, involving a specific temporal sequence of component acts. Involves more central processing (e.g., basal ganglia).

Question 6

The grasp “reflex” in babies is considered a vestigial FAP. How is it thought to have originated?

Answer 6

Survival, from primates.

Question 7

What are the seven characteristics of FAPs?

Answer 7

Genetically encoded.

Specific to a stimulus, situation, environment.

Spontaneous.

No individual differences, not influenced by learning or experience.

No effect of sensory feedback, independent of afferent input (have their own internal architecture).

Movements are ballistic (most of the time).

Independent of immediate control (including conscious, cognitive).

Predictability of the action, movements are rhythmic, often repetitive. Stereotypy, rigidity of execution. No “expressive” freedom (i.e., degrees of freedom).

Question 8

What did Beach (1960) think of FAPs?

Answer 8

Can be modulated by environment, by endocrine system. Coined term “species-typical behaviour patterns.”

Question 9

What did Schleidt (1974) think of FAPs?

Answer 9

More quantitative studies needed.

Question 10

What did Barlow (1977) contribute to the concept of FAPs? What did he think of them?

Answer 10

MAP (modal action patterns), C.V. (coefficient of variation), S.I. (stereotypy index).

Thought FAPs not always “fixed” as we think - not a rejection, just acknowledging some unique cases of degrees of freedom.

Question 11

What does stochastic mean?

Answer 11

Probabilities in time.

Question 12

Describe “lower” vertebrates and their relationship with FAPs.

Answer 12

Behavioural repertoire made up primarily of FAPs.

Question 13

Outline the historical timeline of the concept of FAPs.

Answer 13

FAP → MAP → action sequences.

Question 14

FAPs and MAPs are of the S-R type. What does this mean?

Answer 14

Stimulus-response type: short stimulus, short response.

Question 15

Action sequences are significantly more complex, and they do not make assumptions about what?

Answer 15

The “innateness” of behaviour.

Question 16

Describe larder hoarding and scatter hoarding.

Answer 16

Larder: hoarding at or near “home.”

Scatter: caching in scattered sites.

Question 17

Eibl-Eibesfeldt in 1963 discovered what about European Red Squirrels?

Answer 17

Go through full sequence of burying nut in wire cage, despite no earth available.

Question 18

A Dalhousie study on canids focused on what?

Answer 18

Red foxes, coyotes and wolves in food caching sequences.

Question 19

What are the elements of the food caching sequence in canids?

Answer 19

Carrying and site inspection.

Pawing and digging.

Tamping and scooping.

Question 20

Food caching behaviour in canids is a manifestation of what? What can indicate origin and course?

Answer 20

Manifestation of nervous system.

Striatal signaling.

Question 21

What are the ultimate and proximal explanations for caching in foxes?

Answer 21

Ultimate: foxes prefer smaller prey, easier to cache.

Proximal: competitive.

Question 22

How did an experiment manipulate voles and their reaction to avian predators? What did they find?

Answer 22

Presented stimulus that, depending on direction, looked like either a goose or hawk.

Voles didn’t react to ‘goose’ direction, groomed or escaped to ‘hawk’ direction.

Question 23

What is a common myth regarding FAPs? Provide a real-world analogy disproving it.

Answer 23

Lower evolution = more FAPs; higher evolution = less FAPs.

Modern planes have sophisticated auto-pilots, thus highly evolved doesn’t preclude presence of systems of central resource economy.

Question 24

List three problems with FAPs.

Answer 24

With a FAP and appropriate sign stimulus, response is guaranteed, including to irrelevant SS/situations.

Can be a waste of time and resources.

False positives are possible.

Question 25

What is supernormal stimuli?

Answer 25

Models (often larger ones) can evoke a stronger response.

Question 26

Give an example of how FAPs can be a waste of time and resources with sticklebacks.

Answer 26

Will display to a red petal floating on the water.

Question 27

Experimental ethology can be seen as cryptanalysis (code breaking). In this case, what is the code book and what is the cipher?

Answer 27

Code book: ethogram.

Cipher: brain.

Question 28

Bellies are a sign stimulus for sticklebacks. Describe what this means for males. What increases the likelihood of attacks?

Answer 28

Bloated belly of females stimulates reproductive behaviour. Red belly of another male stimulates aggression.

Red belly + head down.

Question 29

What is a main question pertaining to patterns?

Answer 29

How innate (question of inheritance and developmental origins) and how instinctual (question of developmental and evolutionary origin)?

Question 30

The question of predictability = _____

The question of meaning = _____

The question of social context = _____

The question of modulation and expression = _____

Answer 30

Syntax (rules).

Semantics (context).

Pragmatics.

Prosodics.

Question 31

The Hailman / Ficken chickadee studies (1978-1986) found what? Which of the four questions did it play into?

Answer 31

Deciphered sound code with syllables (e.g., sound indicating threat).

Question of meaning (semantics).